Hello,
I am a newbie when it comes to DIY builds. I never build anything too big or too complicated. I was thinking of stepping it up and take a stab at the HD projector. Seems like a good challenge and a nice Father-Son project.
This being my 1st projector, let alone my 1st real DIY build i was hoping to get some questions answered.

My plan is to get the 3 lenses (S15), lamp, and ballast from the Lumenlab store, the 15.4 Samsung Kit w/ MST (WSXGA) from Manhattan LCD, and rest rest (fans, circuit breakers, switches) from my local hardware store. Does this seem like a good plan to get a nice 1080p projector?

My second question is the following: What is better when it comes to price, heat resistance, and handling, Tempered Glass or Polycarbonate?

I also had the idea of leaving the top of the projector open and cover it with a fan filter for better ventilation and keeping the dust out, and in addition to that, attach 2-3 120mm fans in the back. Is this a good idea?

Thank you.

The S15 fresnels are not wide enough for a 15.4 LCD. This has been discussed at length and you do do more reading using this Google search: site:lumenlab.com +S15 +"15.4"

Most people use Lexan as a heat barrier.

It's best to follow the recommended cooling path found in the DIY Projector Guide's Keeping it Cool section. There is no need to have an open enclosure (which may suffer from light leaks) and you'll only need, at most, 2 fans.

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Below is a little information that I like to pass along to new members:

The best place to start is The Lumenlab PRO DIY Projector Guide V.3.

Once you have a grasp of the basics, you might want to peruse the pinned topics at the top of the Beginner's Forum. This is also where you should go to create your own threads when you have questions.

Then you can move on to the pinned topics of the DIY Video Projector Design forum and the FAQ section.

When you're ready, you'll need to decide what parts (LCD, Fresnels and triplet) you'll need. To do that, you can use the handy FocalCalc. FocalCalc will help you determine your enclosure measurements and will let you experiment with different parts before buying anything. This will also tell you how far from the screen your projector needs to be (throw distance).

When you start your build, you can create your own PLOG (Projector Log) to chart your progress and to ask questions about your particular build.

I've found that Google Sketchup is handy to use to design and visualize what your projector will look like. And best of all, there's a free version you can use. If you go to the Google 3D Warehouse and do a search for Lumenlab, you'll find that some members have uploaded parts that they have modeled so you can download them and use them in your own model.

A lot of the questions you might have probably have already been asked and answered several times. While most of us do not mind answering some of the same questions repeatedly, you might get more satisfaction in finding the answers yourself. Unfortunately, the built-in Search feature on most of these online forums is quite limited in what it can do. You might find it easier to search using Google using the "site" parameter. Below is an example:

Google search: site:lumenlab.com +"12.1" projector +plans

You can find other parameters by clicking the Google links in my signature.

You might run across a "quirk" when searching using Google, however. If you notice the thread looking "wonky" like this image, simply go up the the top right corner of the thread and click on Options and then Switch to: Standard.

I hope this gets you started on the road to your new obsession and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Thanks for your help.
From what I gathered from the forums, and correct me if I’m wrong, is that you can still use the s15 and the standard triplet lens with the 15.4, however I am going to have to cut off the sides a little bit and restrict the resolution. I don’t think that should be much of a problem. The image will still be higher than 720p, higher than a standard 15inch LCD, maybe not quite 1080p. The pro triplet lens is a bit too expansive at $200.
Does this sound good or do you guys have a better suggestion.

There's no need to sacrifice the screen resolution so that you can use the S15 fresnels.


http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24531

I recommend you build a mock-up out of cardboard before you buy anything so that you can see exactly what you'll end up with using the measurements that FocalCalc gives you.